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U16 Premier, Mungret Regional 2-2 Newport Town AFC A

Posted on 9 Mar 2019

U16A Squad v Mungret Regional

Saturday, March 9 2019 (Mungret)

Scorers: Daniel Egan & Diarmuid O’Riordan

For their second League game of the season the Newport U16A boys travelled the well-worn path out to Castlemungret to try and build on their victory in their first league game 2 weeks previously. Mungret Regional have provided tough opposition in the last few seasons and it was always going to be a tough ask to get anything in this away fixture.

Mungret always provide a strong physical challenge as well as a football one and this game was no different as both sides went at it at full throttle in the opening exchanges. There was nothing between them in the first 15 / 20 mins, but Newport did begin to create a few chances as the half wore on, but they failed to take any of them. As the half wound down and the few chances were missed you got the sense that Mungret would get a chance and take it and this is what happened at the start of the second half. So, Newport found themselves a goal behind when they might have expected to be ahead based on the 50 mins of football played at this point.

Newport did not feel sorry for themselves however and they fought hard to get themselves back into the game – With the recent wet weather the pitch was soft and bobbly underfoot and it was always the case that set pieces were going to be a strong source of creating scoring chances and this proved to be the case in dramatic fashion.

Newport had swung in some nice corners throughout the game but just without the final end product but thankfully that changed on the double!! Newport scored the important equaliser when Dan Egan found the net from an uncleared corner and the Newport boys were back in the game and confidence surged through the team as they smelt a possible victory. Shortly after they scored a second from a corner when Diarmuid O’Riordan headed to the net after another excellent corner kick. From 1 nil down to 2- 1 in front was just rewards for a great afternoon’s work to that point.

Mungret are a very good team and no heads dropped as they mounted a series of attacks to try and salvage something from the game – with minutes remaining they managed to find the net from a crossed ball and deprive the Newport boys of a great away victory and the game ended 2- 2.

Newport, while obviously disappointed not to have held on for all 3 points can be well satisfied with an away point at a very tough venue where other teams will find it hard to gain any points. The win actually put Newport at the top of the Premier League albeit with a game more played, but it has been a massively positive start for the U16A team, and they will hopefully build on this as the season progresses. Thanks to all the boys for their ongoing efforts in both training and matches.